Scottish author and reformer Samuel Smiles viewed mistakes and failures as essential, active parts of personal growth rather than shameful setbacks. So, when we make mistakes, we often fail forward since Samuel Smiles says if we never make a mistake, we never make a discovery!
Much has been written about the importance of learning from failure. At the University of British Columbia (UBC), research and campus initiatives regarding learning from failure focus on normalizing setbacks, removing the stigma attached to mistakes, and teaching how to use failure as a catalyst for growth.
How well are companies putting in place policies that allow and encourage their people to fail? How do we apply this type of “failure think” when it comes to an average business. If you’ve spent your life building a business that supports employees, suppliers, and the community, failure doesn’t seem like a very good strategy.
In this article we ask questions that only a leader can answer. Is your business ready to fail?
How do you apply “failure think” to an average-sized business?
Often simulators are used, because they allow us to fail faster and more often without serious consequences. You can accurately record what’s going on and better understand and learn from your failure. So how does an average business do that?
Brainstorming 2.0
Say the word brainstorming to most business owners and you often get a “you gotta be kidding” look, and in most cases their skepticism would be justified.
Brainstorming was developed in the 1950’s, however after all these years no academic studies have proven that it’s widely effective. Usually, the power dynamics of a typical business group get in the way. Typically, the most extroverted or powerful person will dominate the brainstorming session undermining its productivity.
Dr. Tony McCaffrey has created a groundbreaking brainstorming technique called brainswarming to overcome the problem of multiple individuals arguing over their ideas. He simply takes the talking out of the exercise.
Brainswarming uses a set of simple rules and structure that asks members of a team to quietly think about solutions to various areas of the problem. Then, write down their ideas on Post-It notes and place them strategically on a whiteboard. Ideas flow more naturally and logically.
McCaffrey developed this breakthrough after observing the way insects leave clues for each other. They do not talk yet they can still be highly efficient, and studies show that brainswarming can produce more ideas in 15 minutes than brainstorming can in 60 minutes!
Brainswarming allows you to do simulating or testing your business ideas before you make serious investments in them. You can fail in a safe environment, so why don’t more companies do this?
How Can Your Company Fail Forward?
Here are the questions that you as a leader can ask about how much you embrace failure in your company:
- Do you openly encourage debate and criticism?
- How do you treat new ideas?
- Is there a system for testing new ideas?
- Do you give awards to employees who fail?
- What incentives exist for innovation?
Consider how your organization could establish such a culture, using your imagination, and brainswarming. Some of the most successful companies in the world take advantage of failure, so why shouldn’t yours fail well?